"It depends what you watch," she says. "VR may be very isolating and scary, but it is also the polar opposite: there is intimacy, closeness. But for you to feel that, we have to create that. In the same way, books can sometimes be isolating, right? The book nerds in my family—if something bad happened they would just go into their room and read—they weren't exactly total experts in human communication. But with VR as with books: there will be horrible books and then there will be masterpieces that push all your buttons. Especially in music: when you can have someone that close to you playing a song to only you. It can be very touching; almost more touching than going to a gig in a way."

A propos du potentiel avec la réalité virtuelle

"There are not a lot of positive things happening in music right now," she begins. "I was lucky, I was from the generation who got a house. But I'm watching kids in their twenties now for who the chances are grim. I have this theory which is that in the beginning, most systems want to be good. Communism and capitalism wanted to fix the world; then they became bad when they coagulated and crystalized into routines and bureaucracy, and the wrong people manipulated the systems with greed. It's always the same story on repeat. With the music industry, that has happened. But suddenly, I see solutions in technology; there are huge possibilities with VR and 360 cameras. A new musician could perform a concert from their bedroom, you know? To someone at the other end of the world! You could break through and liberate and do more intimate things. In the same way that Skype has done it: VR is 360 Skype."

A propos du son 360°

"People seem to be talking more about the visuals. I'm used to that. But I think the 360 sound is a really exciting thing for a musician. To put things in stereo can be compromising, but to put something into 360 sound so that it is all around you; that is breaking out of the limitations of previous technologies. New technology arrives and it liberates you, and helps you deliver things more as you originally intended."

A propos de Vulnicura et du prochain album

"[Vulnicura] has been different to all of my other albums," she tells me. "I wrote it faster than any other, and I wanted it over as quickly as possible. I did the least gigs I've ever done for a record, because I didn't like the moaning. So I did like twelve gigs. Maybe fifteen." Her tones changes: "I thought maybe there is a way? If I film myself singing those songs in VR, then I just have to do it once. I could put that on tour, instead of me. Meanwhile I could focus on more positive energies and write new songs. Instead of indulging yourself in negative shit, you should just make new stuff, it's much better. So I started doing that, and I have been ever since. Most of my time goes into writing the new album, which I'm pretty far with now."